Hotel Tango Bourbon, Ready-To-Drink

Rating: 11/23 Beyond its finishing in red wine casks, details are scarce. It's also approximately 2.75 years old. Nose: Dry and herbal with tartness, evoking rye, then tannins and bursts of red fruit. Subtle earthy barrel notes appear, along with occasional hints of sweet sawdust. It doesn't present as particularly aged, nor does it smell as young as it is. It's somewhat unusual and distinct, yet remains cohesive with clear aromas. Palate: The maturity isn't strongly apparent. It's not exceptionally young either, as it largely lacks new spirit flavors, though a faint squash note is present. More tannins than anticipated from the nose, but some sweetness persists. It's like light caramel mixed with tart red fruit, such as red currants. A definite peppery spice is present but lacks depth of flavor. Further exploration reveals black licorice notes. This palate is unfortunately not very engaging or mature. It's not unpleasant, but it doesn't offer much. It's somewhat thin and light, with excessive tannins. Finish: Lingering spicy tannins, with a trace of light caramel and very faint red fruit. It's an acceptable but forgettable finish. - Conclusion - It's not bad. Honestly, it's decent for its age, just not outstanding. It lacks the boldness and sweetness found in Russell's Reserve 10 (15-16/23). I do appreciate the touch of bold sweetness, likely from the red wine casks. Earl Settler (10/23) is sweeter and richer, with more corn and vegetal notes. I'm inclined to favor Earl Settler. The two are quite comparable, possibly both rating an 11. It can't be rated higher than a 13 or lower than a 9. Revisiting this a few days later, I find it more appealing. Subtle red wine fruit notes are noticeable. While still light, it's quite clean. It surpasses Earl Settler due to the absence of a strange vegetal note. However, the improvement is minor, suggesting a rating of 12, perhaps. A 13 still seems optimistic. Trader Joe's bourbon (11/23) is a strong competitor. While this has pleasant flavors, the tannin and heat detract, preventing it from surpassing Trader Joe's. Their quality is similar, with Trader Joe's potentially being slightly better. Earl Settler is inferior, placing this firmly at a 10 or 11. Perhaps the pleasant wine finish notes are influencing my assessment, but this seems closer to Trader Joe's than Earl Settler. I do enjoy the nuanced fruit from the wine finish, which offers variety without being overpowering. It's a very close call. Appreciation to a friend for sharing this. Despite its weaknesses, the subtle wine finish is commendably executed.

This year for the holidays I’m going to try a brand new whiskey every day in December. #lifegoals Dec. 2: When I found this bottle as the only product from the distillery at my local liquor store, I panicked. At the price point of a certain other offering, my concern was that another of my favorite hidden gems from a previous year was a thing of the past. Turns out that favorite is still available, and this one may merely be a repackaging of that one, which I never had. If I can still find the other one in the wild, I’ll definitely do a comparison. On the plus side, ready-to-drink is not a euphemism for some premixed nonsense. This is straight bourbon. Nose is buttery, with loads of honey and sugar. Reminds me of the favorite, but less intense. Body doesn’t hold a lot of flavor, but the buttery flavor is there. A bit of watermelon. Finish is mild in feel with citrus, leather, and peppercorn flavors. If this guy had permanently replaced the favorite, I would’ve been sad but not bitter. I can tell this is distillery juice, and I still respect them immensely. Not as good as the favorite, but solid. I don’t know if I actually have 29 more new whiskeys lined up, so if you’re reading this and there’s something readily available out there you’d like me to enjoy/suffer through this holiday season, leave it in the comments.

Vanilla and some ethanol on the nose, also a little banana peel and perhaps caramel. Very light mouthfeel, a bit of rye and some oak, more vanilla. Very little complexity on the palate. An early burn on the finish that fades, with still more vanilla. A decent pour, just slightly above average; I won't be rushing to buy it again. I'll be honest, the branding drew me in; it's a fun bottle and a fun label, but a 2-year age statement is tough, and when even the label suggests it's "best in a cocktail," that's a difficult look.

Nose: buttery and lots of caramel. Little vanilla Taste: thin but sweet, a little oaky with the perfect amount of burn Finish: sweet finish with smoke on the back of the tongue. Slightly hot finish, the way I like it Old fashioned: the sweetness amplifies the sugar and orange, and the burn provides the bite that rounds it out. Good old fashioned.

I'll admit I used to think calling a bourbon a good mixer was faint praise. Now I get it. Wonderful sweet notes of caramel and vanilla from start to finish. It becomes a little sharp with an alcoholic taste in the middle. Enjoyable as a social drink with an interesting backstory.

On its own, this bourbon presents weakly upfront with caramel notes, followed by a strong finish of nutty and coffee flavors. Overall, it's a rather uninspired bourbon, best suited as a background element in a cocktail.